Standing in front of the mound and wearing a No. 16 Mets jersey with her name on the back, Hernandez received a warm ovation from the crowd. She took off her gold medal and draped it around her sister's neck, then took a couple of steps forward and — with a baseball in her hand — performed an aerial cartwheel.

Back on her feet, the smiling Hernandez then kicked her front leg and bounced a one-hop toss to Mets catcher Rene Rivera that went wide of home plate.

Hernandez said her favorite Mets player is star pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who at 6-foot-6 stands more than a foot and a half taller than the diminutive gymnast. She said she practiced throwing her first pitch a little bit earlier in the day, but acknowledged she was "kind of scared."

Hernandez won an Olympic gold medal with the United States squad as part of the team competition at the Rio Games last month. She also earned an individual silver medal on the balance beam.